Delhi has four rapes a day, says minister

Despite national and global outrage over the Delhi gang-rape case last year, and tougher penalties for offenders, India's capital is still reporting nearly four rapes a day, double the 2012 rate.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told the Indian Parliament's upper house 181 rapes had been reported in the city between January 1 and February 15, an average of about four a day.

In 2012, 706 rapes were reported, at an average of less than two per day. The increased rate might be attributable to increased reporting of assaults.

"After the gang rape, we issued strict guidelines to file first information reports on all complaints by women. Also, people became aware and are coming forward with complaints," a senior police officer said. Police say that of the rape cases reported to them, in 97 per cent the accused is known to the victim.

Delhi had already earned the unwelcome sobriquet ''Rape Capital of India'' before last year's gang rape of a 23-year-old student in the city's south-west brought the issue of sexual violence in India to international attention.

On December 16, the woman and her boyfriend were locked on a moving bus and beaten with an iron bar. She was gang-raped by five men and a youth, and sexually assaulted with the iron bar. Their naked bodies were later thrown from the moving vehicle.

She died from horrific internal injuries 13 days later in a Singapore hospital.

The men and the youth have been arrested and are on trial.

In the past three days, five rapes have been reported in Delhi, including the gang rape of a 25-year-old woman who was seeking employment and the rape of an eight-year-old girl who had been sent to a neighbourhood shop to buy food.

This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.